Modern Description:
Information collected by Renee Friedman and Carol Redmount: In 1892 described as maze of walls, streets and alleys still clearly visible; by 1923 reduced to 60-65 hectares, walls cut away for sebakh. Presently a low mound, roughly 1000m x 750m with sector in centre cut down for agriculture. Southern end has been cleared for school, cemetery, factory, and sporting facility. Lake now in process of being filled. Tower of stratified debris in center of lake fell during 1992 earthquake. Roman cemetery at SE sector being removed for housing extensions. Cemetery site at NW, partially within lake. Tomb of Queen Kama at far NW corner of lake, lid still present in fields. Stone blocks to N and E of lake might mark remants of temple. Roman town S of lake and Roman cemetery in SE sector. Town of THIP to at least early Ptolemaic to E of lake. Mound was formerly much larger. Excavation: 1823, Rifaud (1830) structures and cemetery? in area of present lake; 1885?, Mariette (1889) in cemetery area north of lake; 1884, Illicit excavation finds cache of bronze temple furnishings, many sold to Fouquet (Chassinat 1922; Perdrizet 1022); 1892, Naville (1894) on east side of tell in area under cultivation searching for temple; and on north side of mound where he found statue fragments (Rameses II, Osorkon II, Sesostris III); 1900, large sum of money spent by SAE for excavation but results not reported (SAE Reports: 21); 1910, SAE excavation? result in removal of large granite lion to Cairo (SAE Reports, 327) 1915, Local landholder, Radwan bey Nasrat, excavated with SAE permission a two-chambered tomb in the northwestern part of the tell. The walls of both chambers were inscribed with mythological scenes. The northern chamber contained a plundered and smashed limestone sarcophagus, and a limestone block inscribed with the name of Osorkon II and the titles of one of his officials. The southern chamber contained a red granite sarcophagus with a block of Ramesses II as lid (still in place on site) and four canopic jars. Within the sarcophagus, intact, collection of jewellery and a heart scarab identifying owner as Queen Kama (Gauthier 1921); 1972, EAO excavation on south side of mound before school construction found Roman houses; 1992-1996 Redmount and Friedman excavate on east side of mound, find sequence of domestic habitation from TIP-early Ptolemaic. Small excavation in Roman portion of town; core samples taken throughout preserved tell. Site Type: Large tell with domestic quarter and cemetery. Cemetery area in northwest,directly adjacent and partially within lake. Two chambered limestone Tomb of Queen Kama and husband? at far northwestern corner of lake, lid still present in fields. Fragments of sarcophagi still along banks of lake. Towers of stratified debris remaining from Rifaud excavation of central tell, originally topped with 9thc AD towers known as 'Seven Chambers'. Suggests that in Roman period, cemetery area is built over. To north and east of lake, spit of remaining tell possibly containing remants of temple, many large stone blocks present. To south of lake is Roman sector of town, houses, and possible church located. Roman cemetery in south east sector of tell. To east of lake domestic quarter of town from TIP to at least early Ptolemaic. Large and small houses excavated. Evidence of canal in eastern sector in pre-Saite period. Site clearly experienced settlement shift probably in response to shifting water courses, moving from north to south over time. Tomb of Queen Kama: Portable finds from tomb of Queen Kama, Found intact in sarcophagus was a collection of jewellery and amulets, two and a half ushabtis (one either uninscribed with the standard formula or inscribed with a foreign personal name according to Spencer and Spencer 1986, 201, fig. 4), and a glazed steatite scarab inscribed with Royal Wife Kama, four canopic jars of alabaster (Gauthier 1921; Vernier 1925). The sarcophagus lid is still at Tell el Muqdam to the north of the lake (Muhs forthcoming). Inscribed block of Osorkon II possibly still in tomb (PM IV, 39). Site Magazine, Door jamb of official of Ramses III in fields near Kama tomb. On Site, Red granite upper torso of Rameses II; two inscribed red granite blocks of Ramesses II (Muhs forthcoming) Lion Cache: The 'lion cache' was supposedly found in 1884 and sold to a leading antiquities dealer, who in turn sold a large portion of it (80 objects) to Dr. Fouquet in July 1885. The remainder are reputed to have been sold to the Berlin and Cairo Museums (Perdrizet 1922, 349). Bronzes with similar lion motifs accessioned at about the same time in a number of other museum are also rightly or wrongly attributed to Tell el Muqdam (Mogensen 1930). The presence of so many objects with lions motifs, mostly bronzes, suggests that they came from a favissa in the lion (Mihos?) temple. The collection also included a number of classical bronze figurines (Perdrizet 1911, 1922). On stylistic bases the Fouquet collection is dated from the end of the Saite to the Ptolemaic period. (http://deltasurvey.ees.ac.uk/moqdam66.html)
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LeontopolisWikidata ID: Q677211Trismegistos Geo: 1238
Info: E.E.S. Delta Survey 
From the web site E.E.S. Delta Survey, a project of the Egypt Exploration Society to map and describe ancient sites in the Nile Delta of Egypt.
